Can carton with reinforced corners



Aug. 14, 1962 F. A. CHIDSEY, JR, ETAL 3,049,232

CAN CARTON WITH REINFORCED CORNERS Filed March 28, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 14 2i C 16 f2 5 WM 5W 1962 F. A. CHIDSEY, JR., ETAL 3,049,282

CAN CARTON WITH REINFORCED CORNERS Filed March 28, 1961 2 Sheets-222m; 2

F 1a 1a go I zyfl g g f Unite States 3,049,282 CAN CARTON WITHREINFORCED CORNERS Francis A. Chidsey, Jr., Wayne, and William C.Hasselo, Berwyn, Pa., assignors to Container Corporation of America,Chicago, [1]., a corporation of Delaware Filed Mar. 28, 1961, Ser. No.98,879 4 Claims. (Cl. 229-40) This invention relates to open-endedpaperboard cartons of the type employed in the packaging of cans orhottles containing beer, soft drinks, and other materials.

The invention comprehends -a novel means of forming a carton of the typedescribed having reinforced corners which do not require the use of anyadditional paperboard.

It is, therefore, an object of the invention to provide a tubularopen-ended paperboard carton, for cans or bottles, having reinforcedcorners formed from material cut from certain walls of the carton.

A more specific object of the invention is the provision, in the canonof the type described, of corner flaps cut from the side and/ or bottomwalls of the carton which can be folded back against the carton walls toreinforce the corners of the carton.

These and other objects of the invention will be apparent from anexamination of the following description and drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a set-up carton embodying features ofthe invention;

FIGURE 2 is a horizontal section taken on line 2-2 of FIGURE 1, with thecans shown in position within the carton;

FIGURE 3 is an end elevational view of a portion of the structure ofFIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a plan view of the blank from which the carton of theprevious views is formed;

FIGURE 5 is a side elevational view, partly in vertical section, of acarton embodying a slightly different form of the invention, with thecans shown in position;

FIGURE 6 is an end elevational view of a portion of the structure ofFIGURE 5;

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary perspective view of one corner of the cartonshown in FIGURES 5 and 6; and

FIGURE 8 is a plan view of the blank from which the carton shown inFIGURES 5-7 is formed.

It will be understood that, for purposes of clarity, certain elementshave been intentionally omitted from certain views where they areillustrated to better advantage in other views.

Referring now to the drawings for a better understanding of theinvention, and first to FIGURES 1 through 4, it will be seen that thecarton is of tubular open-ended construction having a pair of generallyflat parallel top and bottom walls 10 and 12, respectively, which areinterconnected by a pair of parallel spaced side walls 14, which definewith the top and bottom walls a can receiving sleeve.

As best seen in FIGURE 2, the carton is adapted to contain a pluralityof cans, indicated generally at K, having at opposite ends thereofperipheral bands or chimes, indicated generally at C, and which aredisposed in two rows arranged in side by side relationship.

Although the top wall 10 of the carton is formed of a single panel, itwill be seen that the bottom Wall 12 is preferably formed of a pair ofco-planer bottom wall panels 16 which extend from the respective sidewalls 14 to each other and which have at their adjacent inboard edgeschime engaging flange members 18 connected to each other in any desiredmanner, such as by gluing, in order to close the carton and form a rigidstructure.

Although the cartons illustrated in the drawings of this application areof the type disclosed in United States Letters Patent No. 2,963,148, theessence of the invention with which this application is concerned is notlimited to any particular type of carton, but is equally applicable tomany different types of open-ended tubular paperboard cartons.

The carton may be formed from a single blank 20 of suitable sheetmaterial such as foldable paperboard. As best seen in FIGURE 4, theblank 20 is scored to provide the previously described top, bottom, andside wall panels, and the chime engaging flange members, all of whichare hingedly connected to each other along parallel score linesextending transversely of the carton blank.

Top wall panel 10 and bottom wall panels 16 may be cut as shown at 22 toprovide a plurality of tabs 24 which when folded inwardly along hingelines 26 engage the outer surfaces of the ends of cans to retain thecans within the carton. Also, top wall panel 10 may be provided with apair of hand grip openings 28.

As best seen in FIGURE 4, each side wall panel 14 of the carton isprovided, inwardly adjacent each end edge thereof, with a pair of cartoncorner reinforcing flaps 30, which are formed of the panel 14 itself bythe longitudinal and transverse cuts 32 and 34, respectively, and whichare hingedly attached to the panel by a pair of fold lines 36 spacedinwardly from and extending parallel to the adjacent hinge lines 38connecting panel 14 to the adjacent panel of the carton.

Each flap 30 is, in turn, divided by a transversely extending score line40 into a pair of inner and outer sections 42 and 44, respectively,which are of substantially equal length. It will be noted that fold line36 of each flap extends parallel to score line 40 of the flap andadjacent hinge line 38 of the carton and is preferably located midwaytherebetween, so that when the carton is completely set up, and theflaps have been folded into position, flap score line 40 will becontiguous to the related carton hinge line.

Thus, it will be seen that after the carton has been formed into atubular structure, as seen in FIGURE 1, and after the cans have beenplaced in position, as seen in FIGURE 2, each of the flaps 30 may befolded back against the inner surface of the side wall panel 14 fromwhich it has been cut, so that the inner section 42 of the flap abutsthe inner surface of the related side wall panel and the outer section44 of the flap abuts the inner surf-ace of the adjacent wall or panelwhich is hingedly attached to the side wall panel, with the flap scoreline 40 disposed inwardly contiguous to the related carton hinge line38. In this manner the carton corners are reinforced by the provision ofa double wall without the use of any additional board, so that a cartonembodying this invention can be formed from the same size blank as aconventional carton, and further, it may be formed of a blank ofappreciably thinner material because of the double wall construction atthe corners, which are the most critical areas of the carton.

If desired, the sections of each flap may be glued to their relatedengaging wall surfaces when the carton is set up.

Referring now to FIGURES 5 through 8 of the drawings, it will be seenthat there is illustrated a modified form of the invention whichembodies the same basic principle as the previously describedembodiment, namely, reinforced corners formed by flaps which are cut outof the side wall panels of the carton without requiring additionalmaterial.

Each of the flaps 50 of the side wall panels of this carton are formedwith a pair of parallel side cuts 52 interconnected by an end cut 54,and are hingedly connected to the related side wall panel by a flap foldline 56. In this embodiment, however, the flap edges and fold line arediagonally related to hinge lines 38 of the carton, instead of beingparallel or normal to them, as in the case of the previous embodiment.The cut lines and fold line of the flap are preferably disposed atangles of approximately 45 with hinge lines 38 of the carton.

Flap 60 is also divided, by a flap score line 58, into a pair of innerand outer sections 60 and 62, respectively. It will be seen that flapscore line 58 extends in a direction normal to the hinge lines 38 of thecarton and forms an angle of approximately 45 with the side cuts 52 ofthe flap. Also, it will be noted that the flap fold line 56 is locatedapproximately midway between the flap score line 58 and the relatedhinge line of the carton, so that when the carton is set up as shown inFIGURE 7 of the drawings the flap may be folded back against the relatedside panel of the carton from which it is cut, in a manner similar tothe flap of the previously described embodiment, with the flap innersection being disposed adjacent the inner surface of the side wall ofthe carton and the flap outer section 62 disposed adjacent the innersurface of the adjacent wall of the carton and with the flap score line58 disposed inwardly contiguous to the related hinge line 38 of thecarton.

Thus, the embodiment, like the previous embodiment, permits thereinforcement of the corners of the carton by use of flaps which areformed entirely out of the side walls of the carton without requiringthe use of any additional material.

We claim:

1. An open-ended tubular carton, formed of foldable paperboard, having acorner construction, comprising:

(a) a pair of generally fiat panels hingedly attached to each other toform therebetween a corner;

(12) said panels having free edges defining an end of the carton; and

(c) a flap cut from at least one of said panels and hingedly attached tosaid one panel on a fold line;

(d) said flap fold line and said panel hinge line converging; (e) saidflap being divided into separate sections by a transverse score line; A

(f) said flap being folded back inside of the carton with its score linecontiguous to the panel hinge line and with its sections disposed infull face abutting engagement with portions of respective carton panelsat said ends of the carton on opposite sides of said panel hinge line toreinforce said corner.

2. A carton according to claim 1, wherein said flap is cut entirely fromone of said panels.

3. A carton according to claim 1, wherein said flap fold line and saidpanel hinge line converge at an acute angle.

4. A carton according to claim 1, wherein said flap 1 score line extendsin a direction normal to said panel hinge line and at an acute angle tosaid flap fold line.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

